Daily Times

LAHORE: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Presidency on Saturday was handed over to Bangladesh with Nazam ul Hassan taking over from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani. The handing over took place at the Annual General Council Meeting AGM of the ACC which was presided over by the outgoing President Ehsan Mani. Delegates from ACC member countries and officials attended the meeting. This was the first AGM hosted by Pakistan in more than a decade. “The members were briefed about ACC development plans, events and the programmes implemented in 2017. A brief presentation was made on the recently held Unimoni Asia Cup in the UAE,” said a spokesman for the PCB.

The tournament attracted huge crowds at the two venues — Dubai and Abu Dhabi — and top quality cricket was witnessed. The event was a big success for the ACC. Commenting on his new role as the President of the ACC, Nazmul Hassan said: “I am honoured to take over the coveted role of ACC President. My foremost endeavour would be to bring the Asian cricket playing countries together and promote the sport around the region. The Asian wing is right now the strongest as far as international cricket is concerned with as many as five Test-playing nations and two countries with One-day International status. I have already been associated with the ACC for a number of years and I hope my experience will help me in taking the ACC to greater heights in unison with all member countries.” Hasan added.

During the meeting, Afghanistan was unanimously selected as full member of the ACC. The members also spoke about the inclusion of cricket in multi-sports events like the Asian Games, and pressed for the efforts to ensure the same for the 2022 Asian Games scheduled in China. The members, meanwhile, also discussed the possibilities of resumption of international cricket in Pakistan through the ACC platform.
Regarding the Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2018 to be jointly hosted by PCB and Sri Lanka Cricket, with the Group B matches taking place in Karachi next month and Group A matches to be hosted in Sri Lanka, the members felt it was a step in the right direction for bringing back top quality cricket in the country. The ACC endeavoured to take similar steps in the future also.
David Richardson, CEO of the ICC, also gave a presentation to the ACC member countries on the ICC Global Strategy and how it can help them to grow the game in their respective countries. PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani in his address thanked the ACC and ICC officials. “The Asian region is incredibly important for the future of international cricket comprising the biggest fan base for the game. I am confident that we will work in promoting the game further in the region,” Mani concluded.

Published in Daily Times, November 18^th 2018.